On Tuesday, January 11th, auditions for RB’s spring musical The Wiz took place, beginning the long, hard journey to another spring musical. The show will run from March 18th to March 20th.
The musical will be directed by Melissa Briskman, Diane Marelli, and Mindy Haines. Briskman teaches drama, Marelli is the choir director, and Haines teaches dance.
The Wiz is William F. Brown’s all-black retelling of the popular story The Wizard of Oz. Along with other popular musicals like Purlie and Raisin, The Wiz was a breakthrough for Broadway when it premiered in 1975, a time when an all-black large scale musical was unheard of.
“We chose The Wiz because it has a large list of lead roles, and lots of fun minor roles. The story is moving, and I personally love the music.” said Marelli. “The Wiz was originally an all-black production, but within a few years multi-racial shows were common. The color of the population of the school didn’t play a part in our selection of the musical.”
Andy Krug, a sophomore who will play Dorothy, is ready to take on the responsibility of a lead. “I’m excited to take on this new challenge. Everyone is working very hard, so it should be an awesome show!”
For the next six weeks, the cast and crew will be working hard day and night to put together the best show possible. So mark your calendars, and “ease on down the road” to the auditorium on opening night!
